Travel question: I don’t want a refund... I’d rather travel in style

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Flying high: a first class ticket isn’t always guaranteed (Getty/iStock)

Q I have a one way, first class flight booking with Jet Airways from Mumbai to London next month, booked using Virgin frequent flyer points and ticketed by Virgin Atlantic. If Jet Airways can’t fly me, is Virgin obliged to offer me an alternative flight on another carrier? They’ve offered a full refund but that won’t help me secure a one way ticket home, possibly at short notice. What I want is a first class ticket (on another carrier) which I have paid for. Do you know if Virgin are obliged to provide this or can they fob me off with business class?

Luke K

A From Mumbai to Heathrow, the only other airline with first class is British Airways. I have just checked and the lowest one way fare I can see is £4,500. So I am afraid that I cannot see Virgin Atlantic buying you a first-class ticket on BA. And because the original was booked for travel on a non-European Union airline from an airport outside the EU, the air passengers’ rights rules, known as EU261, won’t help you. (The fact that Virgin Atlantic is British is irrelevant.)

While Virgin Atlantic had a codeshare arrangement with Jet Airways (meaning Virgin’s services were given Jet flight numbers and vice versa), it was possible to get that increasing rarity, real first class, for points and some cash. But every frequent flyer programme I know has terms which say something to the effect of: “If for some reason the flight isn’t operated, then we’ll see what we can do to help but may simply decide to refund your points.”

You could probably persuade Virgin Atlantic to offer an upper class (its business class) flight from Delhi, and perhaps stump up the odd £150 to get you there in business class on Vistara. But personally I would prefer not to spend two hours flying no nearer to London, and would instead look at one of the excellent business class options around the £700-£800 mark, such as Oman Air via Muscat or Air France via Paris. Or, for perhaps another £100, Air India’s nonstop service.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder